Step By Step
by rainingWolf
Summary: He was the shadow that accompanied all of them at one point or another. He was always there, with eyes that danced and lips that lazily curled up into a smile. Obi. In the silence they wonder, what do they know about him? / ongoing drabbles or ficlets about Obi and his interactions and life.
1. Missing Time

**17. Missing Time**

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They were alone after separating from Mitsuhide and Kiki; it was his idea because really, they could travel a lot faster apart and somehow, he drew the short straw to accompany the prince instead of scouting ahead that the two knights were currently doing. They had been walking in amiable silence until his companion opened his mouth.

"Where are you from?"

That one question that slipped easily from Zen's mouth disoriented the black head for a second as his head came up from where he was washing his face with water from the stream. Droplets slid down his chin and he wiped it away with a flourish of his arm.

"What?"

The prince shifted and flushed in the silence that followed that singular word. Mumbling and casting his eyes away from him, the golden hair boy shuffled away towards the road. "You know what, never mind."

There was another silence in which Obi caught up with his prince, settling his arms behind his head comfortably.

And then a lonely sentence- "I don't know."

And anything else that followed was swallowed up by the looming forest and heavy air.

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- Wanted to write about Obi cause he's my favourite in Akagami no Shirayukihime. And he has such a mysterious past that we only glimpsed in the last few chapter and he's such an ambiguous character that I just want to flesh him out and give him so much angst.

- Hope you enjoy it.

- Reviews are much appreciated.


	2. Butterfly

**147. Butterfly**

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He turns, guiding her steadily through a series of movements, and she twirls once, twice, until they both stop when the sole of her heels promptly sinks deep into the tip of his boots.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Does it hurt? I-"

His lips quirk up at the girl's distraught and his hand comes up to stop the tiny palm reaching for his shoulder. "It's all right. Worse has happened to me. This is nothing."

As the words escape his mouth, he sees the frowns appearing on her forehead, marring and twisting as her mouth drawn down as well. Her head tilts to the side, as if not comprehending what he had said.

"You've had worse?" Her voice trails off softly and he swears at that moment that he could practically see the wisp of words forming together to encompass him like a cocoon.

He shrugs, lowering their intertwined hands and drifting over to the chairs. "Of course Little Miss. But you don't have to worry about that." He shifts in the silence as he follows her viridian eyes' path towards the minute fleeting scars on his hands that shone if presented in the right light; he lets his sleeves overtake his wrists to shield them.

Whether to protect himself from her piercing gaze or to shield the marks from her eyes that were rapidly turning mournful, he did not know. But his action is swift and secure and he does not hesitate as he gives her a gentle push so that she falls into a delicate ornamented chair.

Their hands are still linked together and this time, it is her who lifts their hands so they are at eye level. She holds it steady as she splays open his palm to faintly trace the white lines on his hands.

There are no words now as his eyes mirror her hand's path that swiftly worked its way to the longest pale scar.

A beat. "Tell me about them."

A request. Not a command.

And his response is a bemused smile that could almost be interpreted as forlorn as he slips his hand out of hers.

He stands and stretches; her eyes follow his every movement, still holding that soulful look that threatened to cloud his mind with memories he would never tell her.

"You don't need to know, Little Miss." He pats her on the head, a quick tap, and before she could respond, they are interrupted as the dancing instructor comes in.

He leaves then, heading for the door, and he would have missed it if he was a lesser man.

But he isn't so he hears the trickling of a whisper in his ears. "But I _want _to know."

And before he closes the door with a soft _click, _he smiles again; this time, a rueful upturn to his lips.

"No, you really don't."

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- Reviews are much appreciated.


	3. Wire

**54. Wire**

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There is a line they cannot cross and so, he crosses it for them.

It happened that one time when he was strolling in town- he was free everyday unless Master specifically told him to run an errand- and he turned the corner to go down a street towards the tavern that has the best liquor when someone shot out of a nearby alley way to fall in a heap at his feet.

Sounds of rustling and clanging of swords were heard and he followed the noises to a clearing where chaos reigned. He stood at the edge of the crowd of fighting men, his blood humming when he spied a glimpse the dual brown and black hair that surrounded a vibrant gold.

There was no need for him to hesitate as he swiftly face planted a guy who was wielding a club that was the size of five of his arms into the dirt. Turning, his hand shot out to grab an oncoming fist and he twisted, letting momentum overtake him, and dragged the thug onto the floor. Sending a hard kick to the downed man's stomach, Obi sighed.

"You always attract the most interesting people, Master."

Zen's head bobbed up at that, a scowl forming on his face as he parried and shoved someone away from him. "I can't help it if they come to me of their own volition!" Then, the prince was pushed back by three men who managed to squeeze past his two knights.

Kiki swung back, her sword already pivoting towards one of the men, and she hefted the back of her blade to chop at a man's neck. He crumbled, dazed.

She lunged next at the second man but there was no need for Mitsuhide was there, brandishing his sword like a torch. She let out a breath that caught midway as someone grabbed her legs, buckling her to the ground.

She swiftly rolled upwards, bringing her sword around in an arch and her blade rang as it crossed paths with another blade. It was the man she had knocked out earlier; it appeared he had risen again and somehow managed to grab a sword as well.

She swung again but he back stepped and her sword missed him by a hair's breath. Taking advantage, the man hurtled under her sword and came within her circle; he grinned as he saw the slight widening of her hazel eyes but his smile stopped when he felt a dagger slide its way between his ribs.

A half scream burst out of his mouth before he collapsed onto the ground next to his fallen comrade. The third man was already down, blood oozing from his shoulder and stomach. And standing over the two sprawled eagle figures was Obi who was casually swinging his dagger around in his deft fingers.

A pointed look from him towards Zen who was occupied with Mitsuhide who was trying to wipe his liege lord's cheeks made her lips quirk slightly upwards.

She will protect Zen with her life and so would Mitsuhide but they will not kill. They will restrain. They will control their desire to bash heads, to crush bones, to rent screams into the air.

That is a line they cannot cross. They are knights. They have oath, loyalty, honour. They will not sully the hands that interact daily with their prince.

And so, he will cross that line for them.

She watched as a lazy smile creep up on the black head's face, smoothing his features as he talked to Zen, hiding the mess behind him as if not wanting the young boy's eyes to fester upon the sight of such destruction.

They will watch Zen's back and Obi, in return, will watch their back. Maybe not for their sake, but for Zen's sake. And that was all she needed to know about the lithe black head who moved like a cat and smiled like the world was set to amuse him at every turn of the day.

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- Wanted to explore Kiki and Obi's relationship cause they hardly interact and yet, they both put up with each other. And voila. This happened.

- Hope you like it~~

- Reviews are much appreciated.


	4. Crying

**125. Crying**

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How he had come to have that conversation with Obi will forever be a mystery.

It had just been the two of them in Zen's bedroom; him folding up the prince's clothing into neat squares only for Obi to shove them into a trunk haphazardly.

Kiki had been with Zen who wanted to visit Shirayuki before he left to go on the hunt his brother had invited him on.

He still remembered the reaction of his young charge when he presented the invitation from the King; the prince's face had held puzzlement and a hint of surprise as if the fact he had been included was a kind of bewildering wonderment to him.

He still was not sure when the topic came up; he had valiantly attempted small talk with Obi who seemed disinterested in anything that came out of his mouth for the black head, having been told off for disregarding Zen's clothes, was faintly tracing the edges of the windowsill as he stood next to the open pane of glass.

He had been attempting to arrange the mess in the trunk into a vaguely pleasant package when Obi opened his mouth for the first time since he had entered the room.

"Are you happy to be with Master?"

There was a pause as Mitsuhide's hands stilled and set down the hanger he was holding. "What brings this around?"

There was silence while the knight tried to figure out what was the motive and hidden meaning behind the sudden question. Finding no malice, he shrugged and continued folding shirts. "Sure I am."

Apparently that simple answer was all it took to placate Obi's state of mind because he stopped fiddling with the curtains.

A beat. And then, "Do you love him?"

There was no hesitation in Mitsuhide's voice. "Of course I do."

Another stretch of silence enveloped the room until Zen's baritone voice rang through the window. "Oi! Obi! Come down here!"

The knight saw the black hair boy give a cheeky grin outside the windows before twirling around, smile fading away as he headed for the door.

For a moment he said nothing, but as Obi's footsteps receded, he said, "Obi?"

He heard the other stop.

"You love him too, don't you?"

When there was no answer, he turned to look. The younger stood motionless, frowning, in the middle of the expanse of tiles.

"You do. You love him."

The black head lowered his head. He looked very alone.

"Maybe…" he said, and left.

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- Don't know if this makes sense to you but I wanted to write about how Obi sort of admits to how open his relationship with Zen and Shirayuki is. Like how their friendship with him betters him and how they can be so frank and free with one another. ... Hope I explained it properly to you guys.

- Hope you like it?

- Reviews and feedback are much appreciated.


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